Summer Running

This morning while I was running I started making a list of all the ways in which summer running is better than winter running.  Here it is.

1. Snot
Yes, that's right.  If you're a runner, you know this happens, and if you're not, you think I'm gross and you may want to skip to number 2.  During a summer run, you can reasonably expect snot to blend in with sweat.  Not so much in the winter.

2. The first 5 minutes
In winter, the first 5 minutes or so of a run are the ones that suck.  Those first 5 minutes can make me seriously consider skipping a run altogether, did get me to skip runs in the first year.  During the summer, those first 5 minutes are the only ones that don't suck.

3. Light
This one is so boring I almost skipped it, but it belongs here.  Sunlight is limited in winter and I don't run in the dark.

4. Flowers
Summer running smells good!  (Well, the air does.  Maybe not me.)

5. Breezes
It takes a good, sweaty summer run to make you really appreciate a nice breeze.  In fact, the breeze may feel like it came straight from God in order to keep you upright.

Despite the fact that summer heat is awful to run in, I know I'll miss it horribly when it's gone.

Last week I squeezed my weekday runs into Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday so we could leave for Washington, DC on Wednesday.  I had one 10 miler that I still needed to get in, and after getting some input from Michelle, I decided to head down to the National Mall to do it.  It seemed pretty simple from the map...but I still managed to get lost.  I did a lot of that run while looking down at the little blue dot on my phone and trying to find my way.  At one point I finally saw the Washington Monument sticking up and put the phone away, thinking I could find my way now that I'd seen that.  Not so much!  But I did eventually make it to the mall.  I ran around the Lincoln Memorial, through a park, around the Washington Monument, and down towards the Capitol Building before heading back up (literally, up a hill) to the hotel.

I'm not great with directions and tend to be pretty nervous about doing things on my own, but the need to get the miles in pushes me to go on and get out there.  I was apprehensive about it, but it's a great feeling in the end to know that I can and will be able to push myself out of the comfort zone to do things that are important to me.  Even if I do have to stop and start over and over until I get headed in the right direction!

This morning, after 3 days of not running, I did 3 miles with a little speed work on a relatively cool morning back in Arkansas.  I have my longest run yet, 15 miles, coming up on Saturday, and am thinking of doing the Big Dam Bridge 5k with Ty that evening.  Hot or not, I love summer running.